Method of storing gases or liquids



' Patented Mar; 18, 1952 METHOD OF STORING GASES OR LIQUIDS Reginald L. Pattinson, Aylmer, Ontario, Canada No Drawing. Application June 29, 1945, Serial This invention relates to the storage of gases or liquids.

The difiiculties relative to the provision of storage facilities for natural or manufactured gas for heating purposes are well recognized and have resulted in the curtailment of the use of such gas for heating purposes. Steel gas holders have been used for storage of manufactured gas but their cost has rendered impracticable the provision of such gas for heating purposes. The facilities for supplying gas for heating are largely unused during the summer and, to some extent, during the low heating periods of each day in the winter. Consequently, gas supplying firms who provide adequate facilities to take care of the peak heating load at all times find it diflicult to supply gas at a suitably low cost to the consumer and yet receive a reasonable return on their investment. The result has been that inadequate facilities are frequently provided to take care of peak loads. This shortage of gas is of course highly inconvenient to the consumer and sometimes constitutes a hazard.

It has been proposed to provide a storage of gas to take care of the peak heating load by pumping the produced gas into depleted or partly depleted gas fields. Very few of these fields are,

however, available and their relief of the situa- A specific object of the invention is to provide i ,a method of storing gas in an impervious underground chamber under superatmospheric presg sure.

" Other objects, details and advantages will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

Rock salt exists beneath the surface of the earth in varying thicknesses and at various depths. The commercial recovery of salt from such salt beds has long been practiced by sinking a tube or casing down into the bed, supplying water to the bed through such tube to dissolve a portion of the salt, and pumping out the so formed brine. A cavity of considerable extent is thus produced in the bed. Since the walls of such cavity are composed of solid salt, they are substantially impervious.

In accordance with the invention, naturalor manufactured gas, as it is produced, is fed into a preformed cavity in a salt bed and maintained therein under any desired pressure for release tousers of'the'gast'"Tlieforfiiation'of the cavity is a self-liquidating expense through recovery of the salt and there is substantially no maintenance expense as now required in the provision and maintenance of metal and like storage facilities. The danger from fire and explosion is practically eliminated and in the case of hydrocar- In Canada June 30, 1944 4 Claims. (01. 166-21) bon liquids loss through evaporation is avoided.

- En salt bed beneath the surface of the earth, said Gas so stored may be delivered to users at faster and more uniform rates than under present arrangements for natural gas, and without heating or other treatment of the gas. This overcomes one of the major difficulties in the use of natural gas. 4 The gas from a natural gas well or from a gas manufacturing plant is pumped into such underground cavities, located at desired or convenient a points for storage and distribution and main- Q. i tained under desired pressure having regard to distribution requirements. Its release for distribution is controlled by any suitable pressure regulating means.

While the invention has particular reference to the storage of heating gas, it will be understood that oil and other liquids, which do-not, dissolve w the salt, may also be stored in the chambers de up scribed. f3 What is claimed is: 1. A method of storing fluids which comprises it a feeding the fluid to be stored into a preformed y/ substantially impervious cavity in a natural rock w l l fluid being of such nature that it is substantially a a! 5 w unaffected by the salt forming the walls of the i g 2. A method of storing gas for heating purposes which comprises pumping the gas to be stored under pressure into a preformed substantially impervious cavity in a natural salt bed l beneath the surface of the earth.

3. A method of storing natural or manufactured gas for heating purposes which comprises pumping the gas to be stored under pressure into a preformed substantially impervious cavity in a natural rock salt bed beneath the surface of the earth and maintaining the stored gas in the cavity under superatmospheric pressure.

4. The method of storing hydrocarbon fluids which comprises feeding the hydrocarbon fluid to be stored into a preformed substantially impervious cavity in a natural rock salt bed beneath. the surface of the earth, said hydrocarbon fluid being of such nature that it is substantially unaffected by the salt forming the walls of the cavity.

cavity. 1

REGINALD L. PATTINSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tracy May 29, 1934 Number OTHER REFERENCES 

1. A METHOD OF STORING FLUID WHICH COMPRISESSESA PREFORMED FEEDING THE FLUID TO BE STORED INTO A PREFORMED SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERVIOUS CAVITY IN A NATURAL ROCK SALT BED BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, SAID FLUID BEING OF SUCH NATURE THAT IT IS SUBSTANTIALLY UNAFFECTED BY THE SALT FORMING THE WALLS OF THE CAVITY. 